Search at sea for baby after woman’s body washes ashore

THERE were serious fears last night for the welfare of a baby after a woman’s body was found washed up on a beach yesterday.

A massive search operation was launched after a passer-by found the woman’s body at Roxtown Harbour close to Malin, Co Donegal, just before 6.30pm.

The woman’s car was discovered close by on the shoreline. The woman is understood to be from Derry.

There was further panic after a member of the public said they had seen the woman earlier with a baby. The woman’s mobile phone was recovered at the scene and the PSNI was last night trying to contact relatives to determine if the woman had a child with her.

Gardaí alerted the rescue services to the tragedy just after 6.30pm.

A number of emergency services circled the scene of the incident which was co-ordinated by Malin Head Coast Guard station.

A spokesman for Malin Head Coast Guard said last night’s tide was one of the biggest of the year so far.

Meanwhile, the body of a man in his 20s was recovered from the water off the coast of Cork yesterday.

A body was sighted in the water at Travarra at about 2.30pm and was recovered by a local vessel a mile and a half off Travarra, in the Beara Peninsula. He was named locally yesterday as Michael Power and was from the village of Eyries on the Beara Peninsula.

It is understood that the young man drowned. His death brings to 13 the number of people who have died in drowning-related incidents in Irish waters in recent weeks.

Brenda Power – Page 17